


People He Let Down

by LampWickGirl



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Injustice: Gods Among Us
Genre: Athanasia is a Jason + Damian hybrid, Athanasia is sad, Duke + Cass are Waynes, Found Families, Fuck me this has too many characters, Gen, Gun toting Lazarus Waynes deserve to be friends, Minor Character Death, Most of the Characters are mentioned tbh, So is Jason, fight me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-16 22:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21279068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LampWickGirl/pseuds/LampWickGirl
Summary: A what if? involving Jason Todd and Athanasia Al Ghul. Two murdered children of the Bat thrown in the Lazarus pits who use guns. A remarkable similarity. They aren’t really close in canon.  As far as I know, their only interaction is a fight so…Anywho, Jason rescues Athanasia from prison because she deserves love.





	People He Let Down

**Author's Note:**

> It’s difficult to write Athanasia. On one hand, she only appears in one comic so there are no inconsistencies involving different writers or personality retcons. In contrast to this, she only appears as a supporting character in one comic so it’s very hard to get an accurate grasp on her personality. No one is ever told how she died, only that it happened. Then she went off the rails in the most spectacular fashion and went to prison and that was the end of that. But her costume was seriously awesome though. There’s a reason why I have a folder on my desktop called ‘cool photos of Athanasia al Ghul’.
> 
> Injustice!Jason is also difficult to write. Under the Red Hood didn’t happen, so we don’t know if Lost Days happened or the N52 origin story of the All-Caste was instead used. Judging by his gear options, both did. Injustice 2 gave us the barest hints of a personality or origin. I gave him the All-Blades in this fic because two of said gear options are called ‘Ducra’s Peacemaker’ and ‘Bane of the Untitled’.
> 
> I accept no criticism.

On the February the 19th this year, several things will happen. It is Bruce Wayne’s birthday, for example. He will be woken by Cassandra Wayne launching herself onto his bed and signing furiously about cake and presents. A newly adopted Duke Thomas-Wayne will follow in from behind, to wish his father a happy birthday. Selina Kyle will grumble on the other side of the bed about being woken so early, but will give him a kiss on the cheek and ruffle Cass’ hair. The girl will giggle and the four of them will bask in familial warmth. There will be a card from Alfred on the kitchen bench, with no postage mark but a faint smell of sea water. Bruce will check all the mail received- cards, letters, emails, texts, message via carrier pigeon- for something from Damian. Nothing will come.

After that, Barbara will drop by with a hug and a present. She’ll pass on her protege’s handmade card and mention how well the new girl is getting on with Supergirl. Bruce will laugh about the extravagant use of purple glitter and Barbara will mutter something about eggplants. The Justice League will send a congratulatory video, complete with Hal mocking him about how old he is and Harley making funny faces into the camera. Blue Beetle and Firestorm will grin and Bruce will remind himself of how proud he is of them. He’ll then think of Tim and Jason, what he would do to see them alive again. Then he’ll talk himself down to visiting their graves tomorrow. 

Later in the cave, Bruce will hear Dick’s voice and spin around, hoping to see his son, but there will be no one there to see.

* * *

In the supermax incarceration facility in Metropolis, Athanasia Al Ghul-Wayne will sit alone on her bed and wonder what it would be like if she had a father who cared about her. Or a grandfather that wasn’t hell-bent on genocide and world domination. Maybe she’d get birthday presents and have friends that weren’t mass criminals that only talked with her because they had bombs in their brains. Maybe she’d get to see her other grandfather more than once a month and they’d relentlessly mock her brother for his lack of manners and social skills. Not that hers were any better. Maybe she’d have a whole family. A father who would try to make her breakfast and fail spectacularly. A step-mother who’d laugh and show him how to actually cook things. A sister and a brother. A veritable zoo of siblings. Athanasia will dream quietly, for the dreams help stave away the crushing loneliness and despair which loomed over her like an insurmountable peak.

Those are the things that were meant to happen. All the things that were going to happen to Bruce Wayne still do, because he has little involvement with this day. Athanasia’s day will change quite drastically, as someone will arrive to break her out of prison, like a raging storm over otherwise calm waters. 

However, when Batman is wondering how _he_ did it a few days later, a guard will be found dead and his ID will be missing, no doubt stolen to copy it. It’s a clean shot, straight through the eye and out the back of the head. The bullet is gone.

Batman will glare at the meagre security footage left behind. He’d been good. A conundrum worthy of the World’s Greatest Detective. The X-ray scans showed he wasn’t armed save for the standard issue sidearm strapped to his thigh. No one could take out an entire prison’s worth of guards with six bullets. Catwoman will smile grimly from behind him.

“Of course he can. He’s your son.”

* * *

Athanasia hears him coming, but only slightly. There are no screams of the guards or the sound of footsteps. Of course there aren’t, her mother trained him better than that. He stands outside, holding two fiery swords, with a vicious smirk playing out upon his face. The warden lies dead at his feet. She thinks of a time long ago, when she and her mother broke into the same prison to rescue Damian. He was outside, busy with the guards. She narrows her eyes at the man who beat the Bat. His smirk widens. 

“Hey kid. You’re going to want to follow me.” Jason Todd lifted the warden’s hand to the scanner and the forcefield separating them vanishes. 

“Why should I do that?”

“Because this is a prison. You are inside and I am getting you out of it. Did I miss anything?”

“Why?” This had to be a trap. He was working for Mother. He was working for Batman. This was a test to see what she would do when presented the opportunity to leave. No one would do this for free. Especially not for her. The last time they saw each other, she stabbed him.

He flicked his wrists and the swords disappeared. Interesting. Then he groaned and pressed his hands to his eyes. “Look. We can argue about the comforts of a supermax cell outside. The only reason I was able to get this far is because a friend of mine is currently keeping Brother Eye busy. Soon, the entire Justice League will show up and I can’t fight that. Come on.”

“I’d rather stay here. I don’t trust you. You’re working for Grandfather.”

“Your grandfather is dead. Your mother is dead. Your father is enjoying his birthday with his girlfriend and his two new kids. He will think about you for a grand total of two minutes. Probably about how you guys could have been family if you weren’t a murderous psychopath. I know the feeling. Now come on.” He grabbed her hand and yanked forcefully. She pulled away and bared her teeth.

“Why are you doing this? You don’t know me, you have no reason to help me.” She demanded.

“Because I care! Because I don’t want to see you trapped in here for the rest of your life for something that wasn’t really your fault!” His voice rose then softened. “Because we’re just two kids who died for nothing and weren’t allowed to stay dead. It sucks to admit this, but you’re the closest thing to a sibling I have left.” He reached out for her hand again, clasping it between his own. Athanasia wilted. Protection, compassion, understanding. Her heart yearned for them. Something she had never really known, but begged for all her life. She cursed her foolish self for being so easy to manipulate. 

He made to lead her out of the cell again. This time, she let him.

“You better have a plan to get us out of here.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’ve got a great one. You want a gun?” He grabbed a pistol of a fallen guard and offered it to her.

“You’re only just asking me now? You’re as stupid as you are ugly then.” She snarked while grabbing it. Jason merely laughed.

The mountain of loneliness crumbled to the turbulent seas and Athanasia could feel the bright sun on her face for the first time. It was as warm as she’d dreamed.


End file.
